Dances with Ella
by QuasiOuster
Summary: Four scenes peeking in on a few special moments in Jo and Zane's burgeoning relationship-you even get to choose your own timeline.
1. Let's Begin

**Author's Note: This story came from my beta's indirect but loving prompting. About six weeks ago, I was having some terrible, soul-crushing days at work. In lifting my morale over some Ella Fitzgerald and a couple glasses of wine, my beta suggested I write something to take my mind off my woes. So these four scenes, all revolving around one common theme, are simply the product of me tapping into a happy place. **

**These certainly aren't my best or most creative or the most well written pieces I've ever done but it was mission accomplished in terms of bringing about a smile. I share them hoping they might have the same effect on others. **

**I don't claim to own or profit from anything that belongs to either Eureka or Ella's songs. I promise. Thanks so much for reading!**

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Chapter One: Let's Begin

_We have necked, till I'm wrecked  
__Won't you tell me what you expect?  
__Is this to be a case of kiss and never tell?  
__Folly and farewell, heaven or maybe hell?  
__Which is it going to be, love or gin? Wife or sin?  
__Let's begin_

It wasn't as if they were having a bad time but things were definitely awkward presently.

Zane had picked up dinner and he and Jo were hanging out at his place on a rare, quiet weekend for the both of them. They saw each other often through work or around town, usually finding enough to banter about until it was time to reluctantly part ways. So he never really considered that they'd be struggling for things to talk about tonight. Unfortunately, their first few dates had mostly been an excuse to make out. Well, not unfortunately really since it had been pretty awesome. But conversationally speaking, they were simply rather ill-prepared for their "serious date," despite their commitment to actually have a normal date and not a hormone induced grope-fest.

In practice, that translated to sitting side-by-side trading nervous glances and mentally scrambling for something to talk about other than work. They had exhausted that topic long ago.

"So . . ." Zane started, again looking tentatively over at the beautiful but baffling woman sitting next to him on his couch. Jo met his stare with a forced smile and an exaggerated enthusiasm, probably desperately hoping he knew how to jumpstart their conversation. Zane stalled for a few moments before adding, "I think there's a Mariners game on if you want to . . ." He trailed off his suggestion as he pointed to his huge flat screen TV but he could already tell that she wasn't quite biting. In fact, he registered her marginal frown before she nodded her reluctant agreement.

Zane made a mental note that she was not a baseball fan. Or maybe it's that she wasn't a Mariners fan. Either way, his suggestion was a dud, not that she appeared to have any better ideas.

However, she did reach for the remote with those damn quick reflexes of hers and it was right as he was going for it too. She seemed quite pleased with her advantage but to his credit, he barely missed. For his trouble he ended up with a handful of Jo Lupo clutching the hunk of plastic as if her life depended on it. 'So that's how she wants to play this,' he thought. He couldn't resist a flash of his trademark roguish grin, hinting at the fight she was about to have on her hands. Her intuitive response was one of challenge. He instantly deemed it the sexiest thing he had seen all week.

The game was on so he wasn't interested in wasting any time. Thinking that she would perhaps be expecting some kind of horn-dog distraction, he went on the offensive with a direct attack. To add insult to injury, he dropped a quick peck on her cheek right after seizing the remote from her. But Jo wasn't one to give up easily. A counterattack was right up her alley—and his too if he could get her to tackle him to the couch.

They wrestled playfully for the remote with Zane blocking her first grab by holding the remote behind his back between the couch and his body. Undeterred, Jo pinched him lightly on his side a few times and in response to his ticklish jerk, she slipped her hand behind him and pried the remote from his fingers.

"No fair," Zane whined. He pouted a bit while Jo triumphantly brandished the remote and moved a few inches over so as not to invite any retaliation. She fiddled with the foreign contraption, ignoring Zane's glare directed towards her. "I can't believe how dirty you play for such a law and order type." He absently rubbed at his side, peeved that he had been taken down so easily by his own body's betrayal.

He suddenly smiled at that. Then again, his body did have many ways of regularly betraying him when it came to his Jo. Since most of those ways were very good, he could forgive her this time. Meanwhile, he amused himself by watching Jo trying to figure out how to work the high tech contraption she had acquired. As usual for Eureka, the device was way more complicated than it probably needed to be and it wouldn't hurt to have a Ph.D. to figure out how to operate it. She hit several buttons on the remote but instead of the television turning on, soft music filled the room in an impressive show of his surround sound.

Her face got this cute, thoughtful expression as she attempted to place the singer but he didn't miss her surprise at hearing the soothing jazz music rather than the traditional rock and roll he usually preferred. Given the smile that slowly spread across her face, he was wondering—and cataloguing—if she was a jazz kind of girl.

"I'm pleasantly surprised at your tastes," she commented still guarding the remote from any attempts at revenge.

Zane chuckled not in the least bit embarrassed by his current selection. In fact, it was giving him some ideas on how to turn the evening around. "You know, because I'm in such a giving mood," he said eyeing the remote again, "I'm not going to take that personally. I'll have you know that I have great taste in music." He offered his best leer and winked at her in amusement. "In my house, Ella Fitzgerald is ace."

It was Jo's turn to laugh, at his smugness no doubt, but also at her instant recognition of the singer that was currently serenading them from his amazing speaker system. "My mom used to play her albums every Saturday morning while she cleaned. Well, she played a lot of stuff but this was one of her favorites, I remember. " He watched as she closed her eyes to the music and tilted her head to the side as if savoring every note. The full exposure of her smooth, very kissable neck was tempting but he didn't want to interrupt just yet what was obviously a pleasant moment for her. He could imagine an older, maternal version of the woman sitting next to him humming along to the music while a pint-sized Jo rowdily played with her brothers nearby. It looked like she was perhaps caught up in a similar, wistful vision.

Feeling a little naughty, he used the opportunity to reach around her and seize the remote again. Jo opened her eyes and raised an admonishing brow, but he figured she should really know by now that looks like that only encouraged him. She had probably sensed him coming a mile away but it was generous of her to let him think he had gotten one over on her. It was more fun that way and a nice boost to his healthy ego. However, instead of flicking on the television, he turned the music up slightly and rose to his feet, tugging at her hands and pulling her up with him. With a steady gaze and without saying a word, he circled her petite frame in his arms and started to sway to the honeyed vocals of a jazz great.

He loved surprising her with his smooth moves and, fortunately, she instantly responded. He felt her reach one arm up and over his shoulders while she rested the other gently against his chest, enjoying the steady rhythm of his heart underneath her palm. All he had left to do was place a gentle kiss to the top of her head and hold her firmly against him. As they found a comfortable movement to the music, all thoughts of artificial conversation and awkward dates flew out the window. The here and now felt just right and neither was in any hurry to disturb the calm that an accidental push of a button had inspired.

The song changed and then changed again, a seamless stream of Ella crooning about love and longing and all the rest. Zane softly ran his fingers up Jo's back in a lazy caress, loving how she replied with a familiar stroke of her own.

"This was one of my mother's favorites too," he offered, finally breaking their silence. The interruption wasn't unwelcome but Jo made no efforts to respond. He noticed her relaxed smile as he gazed down at her and tried to guess at the thoughts that might be running through her head. Her quiet sigh against his chest gave him a delicious thrill but he refrained from any kind of cheap foreplay in favor of wrapping his arm further around her hip to hold her more securely. Her eyes closed once again as she receded further into her memories.

He had certainly done his homework on her but so much of his knowledge didn't go below the surface of her life. The more he got to know her, the more he wanted to learn everything about her. "I don't think I've heard you talk about your mom before. What was she like?" he asked tentatively. There was a caution in his tone in case she didn't want to talk about it, but also a genuine curiosity.

She looked up at him with wonder and a little melancholy but also with an affection that he couldn't begin to quantify. Then she reached up and kissed him. It was a lingering but chaste display of affection—or at least chaste compared to the exchanges they usually shared. He didn't dare speculate on a name for what he felt from her or for what he himself was starting to feel. Whatever it was, he couldn't deny that he wanted to hold onto it and protect it. In that moment, he saw her for all of the sweetness and beauty she masked when others were around.

And then she began to talk. First about her mother and then her brothers and then she asked about him as if he were as enticing a mystery as she was to him. After all, she did have some extensive personal history on him at her disposal. Maybe he actually was mysterious when compared to the man she thought she knew but he appreciated her asking as if she truly wondered about his answers.

When they had danced themselves weary and Ella had finished her impromptu soundtrack to their courtship, they sat side by side and talked even more, late into the night. When he kissed her goodnight at his door, he did so with a deep satisfaction. He was a little disappointed that they wouldn't be having a sleepover but he'd be lying if he didn't admit that the pulse of his yearning for her was a pleasant consequence. Getting to know her seemed overwhelming at times but not tonight. No, tonight had been all about the things he knew he wanted but to which he had no experience putting a name.

After they had lingered at the doorway she finally departed for her own bed. He returned to his living room and turned off his audio system before tossing the remote back on the side table. The evening had included a few bumps but they had weathered them well he thought.

Unable to wipe the lovesick grin off his face, he quickly accessed his audio database and put the evening's musical selections in a new playlist folder he entitled "Jo's Love Songs."

He hadn't thought to woo his Jo quite that way but luckily Ella had had other plans for them.

End Part 1 of 4

(I'm still editing the other 3 chapters but more is forthcoming soon).


	2. This Time the Dream's On Me

Chapter Two: This Time the Dream's on Me

_It would be fun, to be certain that I'm the one  
__To know that I at least supply the shoulder you cry upon  
__To see you through till you're everything you want to be  
__It can't be true but this time the dream's on me_

His apartment was the last place he thought to look for her. In fact, he hadn't been looking for her at all when he stumbled upon her on his living room couch. She seemed so incredibly fragile curled up in the corner. Her eyes were red from crying and a sorrowful expression of defeat creased her beautiful features. It wasn't odd for her to be at his place. On the contrary, they spent about as much time at his home as they did in her house. But with everything going on, it didn't seem that his apartment was on the short list of places to go.

Oddly, it had been Fargo that had come down to his lab suggesting that he track down Jo. It was odd in that he and Fargo didn't exactly get on very well despite (or maybe because) of their respective relationships with Jo. When Fargo became privy to the documents that General Mansfield had forwarded to Jo, the knowledge of her bad news had sent him looking for reinforcements. But instead of running to Carter like Zane would expect, Fargo had turned to him, albeit reluctantly.

The documents were authorizations from General Mansfield that approved certain clearances. They were necessary for Jo to attend to matters surrounding the burial of her oldest brother who had been killed in combat four days previously.

His Jo was so strong, possibly the strongest woman he knew and people were right to consider her a force to be reckoned with. But her tough exterior protected her warmth and deep attachment to those she held dear, especially her brothers. This news would break her heart. He really couldn't predict what kind of reaction to expect from her but she shouldn't have to be alone. So he had spent the better part of the afternoon trolling around town looking for where she could have gone. She wasn't at her house and neither Carter nor Vincent had seen her since earlier that morning at Café Diem. Henry and Allison had seen her briefly as she crossed the rotunda at GD but she was definitely no longer anywhere in the building. The Sherriff's Office, the shooting range and her favorite outdoor spaces were a dead end as well.

All of his efforts led to the scene in front of him. It was several hours later and he had returned to his apartment to collect some items before setting up camp back at her house. But there she was wrapped up in his blanket, perfectly still and looking completely lost. He could tell that she was awake but only a brief flicker of recognition alerted him to any acknowledgement of his presence. He didn't need any explanations though. He was just glad that he had found her.

It only took one look at her before all his stereotypical masculine instincts kicked in. His keys and jacket were mindlessly discarded by the door and he walked to the kitchen, stopping to briefly plant a protective kiss to the top of here head. He began preparing her favorite hot tea for the both of them—plain for him but a bit of agave nectar added to hers. When he returned to the couch, she hadn't moved an inch from when he had entered. But that didn't bother him. Her exhaustion and hurt were clear and he was determined to be everything she needed of him tonight.

He placed their mugs on the side table close to where her head rested on the arm of the couch. Her eyes were dark and red-rimmed with her nose a matching crimson. Her hair was still mostly in its utilitarian ponytail but several strands were fighting to escape its confinement giving an overall impression of disarray. Zane's expression softened as he looked into her vacant eyes and noted the dampness on the cushion resting against her head. He almost couldn't stand it seeing her like this. But any discomfort he had was pushed aside because it couldn't possibly compare to what she was going through. He lifted a hand and softly brushed his fingers across her cheek hoping his gentle caress would do something to soothe her emotional ache. She briefly closed her eyes at his touch but slowly looked up to meet his gaze. There was no fire inside her; no armor to hide the intensity of her feelings. She was bare to him and in those few moments, he grieved with her. Watching her tears return, he also grieved for her.

Even as his heart broke seeing her mourn this painful loss, it also soared at realizing the trust she must have for him to allow him so close during her weakest moments.

Without words, she sat up so that he could squeeze between her and the arm of the couch before taking her into his arms. She even opened the blanket to him so that she could burrow into his side. It was like she needed to be completely surrounded by him as if that would ward off the pain threatening to overwhelm her. He was experiencing a similar impulse wanting to be that protector and keep her within the safety of his embrace. He kissed her again, this time his lips brushing her forehead and he barely heard her sigh before she leaned up and hid herself farther into his neck. He took the opportunity to hand her the mug of tea and was glad that she accepted it without putting up a fight. She could be so stubborn sometimes about some of his more chivalrous tendencies but he didn't think she had the energy tonight. In fact, he felt only appreciation from her.

And so they sat like that for a long while. The light that had been coming in through the blinds faded and the sounds of people returning to their homes for the evening came and went. They slowly sipped their tea, neither uttering a sound. And when they were done with that, their only movement was the lazy glide of his fingers along her arm and back, both soothing and warming her under the blanket they shared.

She surprised him when she moved slightly to grab his remote from the coffee table and fiddled with the buttons until she had accomplished the task she had in mind. The light melody of familiar music began drifting out of his speakers and he smiled before giving her a small squeeze in approval. She had brought up a playlist from his collection—Ella Fitzgerald, of course; one of their favorites.

After listening to a few selections, Jo pushed the blanket off of them and rose to her feet. He didn't need to be told what she wanted from him. When she grabbed onto his hands almost desperately, he registered their slight tremor and he enveloped them in his larger ones, solid and secure. He slowly brought her arms to rest around his neck and then stepped into her body to pull her as close against him as he could possibly manage. She was weak from her afternoon of mental anguish but he held onto her. He held her up and kept her feet solidly underneath her as they swayed to the music. She allowed him to support her as they danced, succumbing to the weight she had been carrying all day. When Zane felt the dampness of a stray tear against his chest, he just held on so she could be sure that there was still something constant and real left in her life on which she could rely.

At that moment, he realized that no more questions remained; his love for her trumped everything. All the scientific marvels to be discovered and secrets of the universe; all the mischief to be had bucking authority and being a general badass. It paled in comparison to having this amazingly strong, challenging woman, this loyal and beautiful force of nature, turn to him to keep her afloat during her darkest hours. He was in awe of it and desired nothing more than to hold her like this, protecting and loving her for as long as she'd have him.

"I love you, Beautiful," he confessed softly into her ear.

He saw her smile just a little bit at his endearment, a glimmer of brightness in an otherwise grim day. It made him grin in return. There were plenty of examples of him putting his foot in his mouth when it came to their relationship but this time he was certain he had said the right thing.

She continued to rock with him to the music, a small bit of tension released and let go. "Thank you for this," she replied, voice raw from crying and disuse. This time it was his turn to sigh. Hearing that she needed him felt like all he ever wanted. One night of release wasn't going to make her feel better. In fact, he suspected she wouldn't feel better for a while. But she would return to herself little by little with each day and he silently promised that he'd be around to help make it happen.

For now, there was a love for each other getting them through this series of moments. And also the sound of soothing melodies that seemed to be made only for them.

**End Part 2 of 4**

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AN: Thanks for sticking with this. I'm still editing my little heart out so more is on the way in the near future. **


	3. There's a Small Hotel

**A brief disclaimer: This is the "M" entry for the story and I also switched the POV up a little on this one. **

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Chapter Three: There's a Small Hotel

_I wish that we were there together  
__There's a bridal suite  
__One room bright and neat  
__Complete for us to share together_

Jo thought that there was no better way to end a day than just like this.

The bed looked extremely inviting all plush with fluffy pillows for when they decided to make use of it. An icy bucket sat on the side table filled with a bottle of excellent champagne. Since Zane was a fairly adamant teetotaler she had popped the cork on it herself and indulged for the occasion. Her last serving sat cooling nearby with some fizzy bubbles still visible in the mostly empty flute. The lights were dim but several flickering candles cast a romantic glow across the room. They were both enjoying the calm of the their night together. The stillness was only interrupted by the occasional brush of skin against soft material and, of course, the familiar music rolling melodiously across their ears.

It had been a very special day for them and they had celebrated in grand style, or at least enough style for what they were used to. Jo's long lavender dress lay carefully arranged across the chair in the foyer of the suite. In a rare break from tradition, she had chosen to forego bridal white in the name of being a twenty-first century kind of girl. As much as he loved seeing her in it, Zane had happily assisted in the deliberate process of taking it off her not long ago. His suit had quickly followed and was laid out beside her dress. It wasn't so carefully arranged but at least it wasn't thrown to the floor where many of the clothes in his apartment ended up.

The church service had been simple with Reverend Harper giving a meaningful blessing to certainly the most spirited union in Eureka. While the reception had been planned as a festive affair, the ceremony itself was modest and traditional. Jenna had been so precious as the flower girl and loved every second of the attention directed towards her. She lost a little focus towards the end but everyone got a kick out of seeing Allison and Carter repeatedly chasing her back to her seat. The cute toddler was only outdone by Zoe who must have been the most enthusiastic maid of honor in history. She purposely doted over Jo almost to the point of reprimand. As Zane's most favored and frequent collaborator, Henry was the perfect best man as far as Jo was concerned. Having an actual mature adult in the role made it so she at least hadn't worried about the bachelor party getting too out of control.

The best part was that Jo's two brothers had been able to attend and walk their sister down the aisle. The last time the Lupos had all been together as a family was for their brother's funeral and they made a vow that they wouldn't let tragedies be the only reason for them to see each other. Getting both men to Eureka hadn't been easy but with some tenacity and some surprise assistance from General Mansfield, they had made it happen.

Vincent had insisted on outdoing himself with the reception as a special gift. The cake alone had been a memorable work of art. Of course, Fargo had taken his DJ duties almost too seriously but Jo had to admit that he did add an extra zaniness to the party. Both she and Zane were still going to be talking about the festivities and their fabulous wedding meal well past their 50th anniversary.

It had been a lot of fun, and she had teased Zane until she finally got him to admit it too. He had spent all day jokingly complaining about having to dress up and play host when all he wanted to do was get hitched and carry her away to be alone for a few weeks. It was a good thing that Jo was able to get his mother on her side about it even if having her around was probably the most nerve-wracking part of the whole experience for her. Zane was really close to his mother—in fact, he was the poster child for Mama's Boys everywhere. Jo had wanted to stay in the elder Donovan's good graces and it appeared that things had gone okay, although it was still a process getting to know each other. Besides, Zane had had his own troubles with Jo's brothers. Though he didn't realize it yet, despite the grief they gave Zane, the two Lupo men were pleased to add to their close-knit family. They couldn't deny that he made their Josefina so happy.

By the time they had said their goodbyes, Jo's feet were definitely sore from all the greetings and pictures and dancing. Having all of the most important people in their lives in one place at one time to help celebrate with them made all the planning and squabbles and fatigue worth it. Jo hadn't pegged Zane for the marrying type when she had first known him. That he went through with all of the fanfare because he knew that it was important to her just confirmed that he was definitely her guy.

After leaving the reception, they took their time settling in when they arrived at their suite. It wasn't like they had held out for their wedding night so there was no urgency to jump right into bed. Instead they slipped into something a little more comfortable (and sexy) and prepared themselves for an evening of indulgence to end their beautiful day.

Now it was finally just the two of them dancing the night away at the beginning of their forever.

Jo was content to rest her arms against Zane's chest as they swayed to the music but she only barely contained her amusement that he couldn't seem to keep his hands from their constant exploration. When she had emerged from the bedroom portion of their suite, he had his back to her. And it was a pleasingly bare back, with him clad only in a loose pair of pajama pants. He was fiddling with his digital media player trying to hook it up to the portable speakers he had brought with him. He hadn't heard her emerge so she'd had to clear her throat dramatically to direct his attention back to where she thought it should stay for the rest of the evening. That she could still make his jaw drop like that was a thrill and Jo was sufficiently satisfied about her too easy choice of a backless number made of transparent silk and lace. But her sultry twirl had him picking his jaw up from off the ground and taking her in his arms. Incidentally, he hadn't let her go after that first glance. And he couldn't stop touching her, especially her exposed back as it made way to her lace covered backside that he loved to handle.

Yep, way too easy.

However, at the moment, gloating was the furthest thing from her mind. Zane had finally decided that their wedding night was no place for him to exercise restraint. She still rested her head comfortably against him, eyes closed and enjoying the music and his roaming hands. But the newest sensation of his hot kisses against her skin was winning her attention. The heat of his breath and the occasional dampness of his tongue stirred her with a familiar pulse. He made his way across her cheek and down her neck until he seemed content to run his lips along her shoulder. He'd give her a small bite every now and then to let her know that he was feeling playful. Each sensation of teeth against skin would cause her to clutch his chest a little tighter in delight. Then she would return to leisurely gliding her hands over the sparse hair underneath her fingers.

Before she could carry out a proper counter-seduction, he had one strap of her negligee in between his teeth, slowly pulling at it until it slid over the curve of her shoulder. She tried and failed to suppress her body's shivers at this. He laughed softly with triumph and rubbed her skin with a little more pressure under the pretense of warming her up. He used her distraction to direct his hand up her other arm and to tease his index finger under the opposite strap. It seemed his explorations were simply his way of mounting a very sexy attack against her. Despite her military training, she was certainly contemplating surrender. Damn him and those genius hands of his because he was in rare form tonight. And now that he was completely hers, she would be able to feel this way every night of her life. Well, maybe not every night because that might be too much, even for her.

He released her strap from his mouth and watched it fall against her upper arm, exposing a fairly indecent portion of her cleavage to him. She at last opened her eyes and looked up to find that playful grin admiring his own handiwork. She inwardly cringed that she was almost panting from his attention while he was looking as cool as could be. It just wouldn't do for him to have this much of an upper-hand so early in the evening.

His only response to her challenging gaze was to not so subtly steer her towards the bed a few feet away. That she was letting him have his way with her to this extent was a wedding promise fulfilled on her part, the result of a wager made six months ago (although she had ended up benefitting from that particular bet at the time). Jo turned around quickly to make sure she wouldn't trip over anything along the way and when she again faced forward, her husband was waiting for her. His lips and tongue enveloped her mouth clearly needy and demanding but fortunately she always gave as good as she got in that department. Zane roughly brought his arm up to pull at the remaining strap to her negligee and upon seeing her exposed before him, he very eagerly kissed and nipped his way down to her awaiting breasts. His enthusiastic tastes of her had them both gasping with barely constrained lust.

Before the urge to take control got the better of her, he had her across the bed on her back, partially disrobed and flushed with her desire for him. He quickly covered her with his body and kissed her repeatedly until she gave voice to her want. If she had been thinking clearly, she would have admired his multitasking efforts. He was currently cupping and caressing her breast while simultaneously using his other hand to creep up her thigh and tease her mercilessly. She had tried to completely remove her gown, but he had stopped her; he enjoyed working around it just fine.

Interesting, that.

She could feel his hard need bearing down on her thigh which increased her frustration at not being able to attend to him as well. They were both possessive lovers and their lovemaking often involved a good measure of give and take on both their parts. In that spirit, Zane decided on a little mercy, probably because her feistiness was starting to interfere with his plans. So carefully taking her hand in his, he guided her to his chest and then lower to his stomach and finally below the waistband of his pants to seize him in her very talented grasp. She didn't disappoint as she stroked him to strangled cries of pleasure that rivaled her earlier satisfied vocalizing. Getting him exactly where she wanted him, Jo took no time to divest him of his remaining clothes.

What followed was a delicious struggle for control with Zane mostly coming out on top (except for when she took over that role). They alternated between tasting and touching; vying to be the cause of and the relief for the other's pressures. He took great pleasure in demanding to hear how much she wanted him and that he satisfied her like nothing else. Her unequivocal affirmation had him covering her body again with his as he pushed into her with a mounting vigor. Yet he wanted more; he wanted her louder and deeper. He wanted to feel her everywhere and for her to feel him. Again and again, she sensed how much this man completed her and when his stimulations became too much, she felt his eyes drinking in every second of her release. When he followed, his gasps of utter surrender gave way to passionate open–mouthed kisses that continued to push the swells of her waning orgasm.

It was going to take the entire honeymoon for her toes uncurl.

This time together was about more than satisfying their desires for sexual fulfillment but also about satisfying their desire to finally belong with someone: Mr. and Mrs. Donovan.

And through it all, Ella simply sang.

**End Part 3 of 4**

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Author's Note: I'm not 100% satisfied with this one but I think it's the best I can manage before diminishing returns kicks in. I did consider going back on Jo not wearing a white dress but I go to so many weddings these days where the bride doesn't where white for various reason and I actually really love that. Part 4 is around the corner hopefully. Editing and the Oscars should go hand in hand.


	4. It Was Written in the Stars

**Author's Note: And here it is, the final chapter. I'm so sorry for the wait! This poor thing has been sitting around waiting for its last edits all week. My day job had other plans for me though. **

**This is a lot longer than it's counterparts and actually has some dialogue in contrast to the others as well. I thought it might be nice to change things up a little to finish it off. Thank you for reading and to everyone that's reviewed. I appreciate the feedback and it really does influence how I develop my story ideas. Enjoy!

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Chapter Four: It Was Written in the Stars

_Here as in a daydream by my side you stand_  
_Here with my tomorrows in your hands_

_It was written high above that I have to have your love_  
_Or I'll never be free_  
_And cloudy though the day be_  
_Crazy though I may be_  
_What the stars foretold shall be_  
_And so shall it be_

Jo was tired. It had been a long day and Zane had just gotten home from another grueling week of field-testing his latest prototype for General Mansfield. She hadn't seen him much but he had promised to take some time out for her soon knowing how testy she was getting over his absence. But that quality time wouldn't be happening in the near future since it was already after 10:00 and he had another round of tests first thing in the morning. He would barely have time to eat a sad, late dinner before crashing.

She on the other hand was beyond bored. While he was out having all kinds of fun adventures, she was stuck with her usual routine, which was decidedly not as interesting. In her head, she understood perfectly that it wasn't fair to begrudge him the project, so she tried to keep her irritation to a minimum. But today was one of her least successful days at that. Zane had known the moment he walked through the door that she was not a happy camper. So instead of potentially causing a scene, she left him to his own devices and decided to wait for him in bed.

When he hadn't come up after a reasonable time to eat and check his messages, Jo began seething with annoyance. Again, she tried to get into the mindset of the understanding, ever-supportive wife but to no avail. She felt for him and his schedule these days, really she did. Nevertheless, pushing her buttons by putzing around during their limited free time together was a dumb move, especially for a supposed genius.

As she quietly made her way down the stairs she wondered what could possibly be keeping him from spending a few of his precious spare minutes with her. Walking through the dark living room to the kitchen, Jo was working up quite an ire, mumbling to herself and planning various punishments for him. And she could follow through with it too! However, all she found was room after room with the lights off. The dishes were all put away and her papers had been neatly pushed to the side of their large dining room table, carefully arranged so as not to disturb the order. Only a silent house greeted her with no trace of her rogue husband. It was so puzzling. God, could Zane be infuriating!

His keys were on the foyer table next to where his sneakers rested on the shoe rack and that confirmed that he had settled in for the night. But the door leading to the lower level was unlatched. Aha!

Jo was halfway down the stairs when she heard soft music floating to her ears interrupted by a loud bang and a thump.

"Ow! Damn!"

At the shouted expletive, Jo hurried down the last few steps to see Zane standing in the middle of – chaos, really. He had a fancy hammer in one hand and his initial expression of pain was being replaced by one of defeated consternation. It would have been funny if she wasn't so confused by the scene in front of her.

No, scratch that. It really was pretty funny, she decided.

Zane turned upon hearing her quiet chuckles and furrowed his brow in frustration. "What are you laughing at, huh?"

"You tell me," she responded as she walked the few feet to where he stood. His fists were tensely clenched at his hips and he was glaring over a big pile of who knew what.

He turned his intense blue gaze towards her and instantly honed in on her tired eyes and disarray, all underlying a very familiar irritation that was becoming a bit commonplace with them lately. "I thought you had gone to bed?" he asked worriedly. He grabbed her hand and pulled her the rest of the way to his side so that he could rub her back.

Her annoyance at him diminished significantly with that simple gesture. In return, she gently ran her fingers through his hair and massaged his head for a few moments before resting her hand on his shoulder. "I was waiting for you." He smiled down at her and gave her a soft kiss. She responded by stroking his stubbled cheek, reflecting some of his worry.

"What are you doing?" she asked looking at the woodpile spread across the basement floor.

His frustration returned and he dropped his arm from her back to pick up a tablet with various schematics on it. "Do you know how many degrees I have?"

"Well—"

"Rhetorical question," he responded quickly. "I'm building up a rant here, if you don't mind." She opened her mouth to reply but realized she had nothing. Instead she indicated for him to continue.

"The point is, I've got a lot of schooling and intellectual ability. I've built propulsion devices, hacked into highly sophisticated government systems; I've been involved in several experiments that could have destroyed the entire universe ten times over!"

"Uh, good for you?" Jo said with uncertainty, trying to figure out what he could possible be getting at. Her curiosity now completely overruled her earlier anger.

"So can you explain to me why I can't put together one, stupid piece of furniture?"

She opened her mouth to respond but closed it again when he held up a finger to silence her. "Rhetorical," he repeated. "I mean, really? If this thing had rockets or needed a fully interfaced A.I., I could do that in an afternoon."

Jo thought it was probably a good tactic to humor him at this point before he had an aneurysm even though she had no idea what he was getting at. "Of course you could, Baby," she said doing her best to relieve his agitated state. He didn't seem particularly pleased with her condescending tone.

He aggressively nudged at a nearby wooden slab with his foot and sighed angrily. "If you wanted a self-sustaining, containment field that recorded behavioral patterns to map out a precise, integrated 24 hour schedule, I could coordinate a team of 13 year olds from Tesla and have it ready for production before you could say oligodendrocyte myelination.

"Oligo-what?"

Ignoring her confusion, he kept right on with his rant. "Jo, I'd do just about anything for you but putting this thing together from scratch is, like, impossible."

Jo looked over at his little DIY project and the pieces began to make sense to her. She could make out the cute, decorated base and the tiny platform where the inside cushion would rest. He was putting together an old-fashioned bassinet for her, or at least trying to anyway. Realizing his plans, her heart beat a little faster and she got that fluttery feeling in her stomach again. He was so incredibly sweet. And also completely hilarious at the same time, pouting over his inability to do something he saw as basic.

She wasn't a completely insensitive spouse so even though she wanted to crack up at his tantrum, she decided to take the high road and be helpful. "Why don't you call Carter? He may not be a fancy mechanical engineer but he's good with this kind of stuff."

"That," he said with great emphasis, "would be admitting defeat. Plus, I'd never hear the end of it."

"Aaah, male pride. Some things even the presence of genius will never change." This time it was her turn to rub his back in a soothing manner and for the umpteenth time, she thought to herself that he was a keeper.

Soon after they had confirmed her pregnancy, she had mentioned in passing not wanting everything for their future child to be high tech and GD engineered. Some things had been working just fine for years and if it had been good enough for her parents, it was good enough for her. An old fashioned bassinet for their child to sleep in was one of those things. Most of the time, he had been pretty great dealing with her mood swings and discomfort and her sometimes unreasonable appetites—of every variety. That he would do this too was more than she could ask for. While she never let him forget that she was doing him a huge service by carrying his child, she instinctively wanted to make him feel better because she loved him more than he could possibly quantify.

"Maybe you just need a break." Hearing the music in the background, she spotted his digital media player and made a few adjustments. "Come dance with me."

He looked at her with a small smile of gratitude. "You shouldn't even be on your feet. I thought Allison told you complete bed-rest."

"And I have been for most of the day," Jo replied defensively, "Why do you think I'm so irritable and bored."

"Good point," he replied. That got him a harder than it looked punch in the arm.

"Keep it up and you'll have plenty of time to work on your little side-project because you'll be barred from our bedroom."

He flashed his cocky grin and pulled her towards him. "In that case, I better take you up on that dance."

"Damn right you better. Although…" she looked down at her enormous stomach. "It might have to be a little junior high prom, as Zoe would call it. I don't think even Stretch Armstrong could get his arms around me right now."

Zane dropped one of her hands and turned her so that her back was to his front. "Shhh, stop with all that talk. You've never looked better, Beautiful." He kissed her on the sensitive spot right below her ear and brought her hands holding his to rest over her full stomach. With her comfortably nestled against him, he began to move to the soft strains of the melody. As they rocked slowly together, Jo felt some of the tension leave his body and she was glad for that.

But seeing him struggle with the bassinet reminded her of something that had been on her mind of late and it was her turn to feel a bit uncomfortable. She was afraid to bring it up for fear of sounding ridiculous or petty but the uncertainty of wondering about it constantly was also its own stressor. Perhaps now would be as good a time as any.

"Zane," she whispered. "Can I ask you something?"

He gave her fingers an extra caress and kissed her again softly. "Of course you can JoJo. And you better spit it out before all this tension has you popping our little one out too early."

Him and his jokes at her expense. They did make her smile though.

"This is serious. I need to know something but I'm not sure…" She hesitated, trying to choose her words very carefully. "I don't know how to ask really and I don't want you to take it the wrong way."

"Then just ask. I am a genius after all. I'll figure it out."

She winced and pinched him lightly on his wrist in retaliation for the impressive display of his ego. "There's a pile of furniture parts over there what would lead me to believe otherwise, Einstein."

"Ouch! Talk about kicking a guy when he's down, Lupo." He lifted his head from hers but seemed more amused than offended. "You better just ask me because I don't think my pride can take much more of a beating today." He held onto her hands a bit tighter then as he kept them moving to the music. "Seriously. It can't be worse than any of the other things we've argued about over the last seven months. Shoot." That was certainly true. Far too often, their home had turned into a battlefield over what was best for their future baby. Either her job was too dangerous or his job was too dangerous or Eureka was too dangerous, on and on and on. They had done well to truly work things out over time but for a while, it hadn't been pleasant.

"Okay, then," she started. "Listen, I know that you love me and you love our baby. I don't doubt that for one second." She could practically feel the curiosity radiating off of him trying to figure out where she was going with this. "It's just I've been wondering lately. Will you be okay if it turns out that our baby takes after me?"

Jo felt the warm breath of his laughter before the sound reached her ears. "That's what's got you all worked up? Josefina, I would be ecstatic if our baby turned out to be like you. I mean, I'd have to hit the gym a lot more with two members of my own family able to kick my ass. But it's a sacrifice I'm willing to live with."

She smiled a bit distantly but her heart warmed whenever he said such things. During moments like this it was easy to wonder if she deserved this amazingly loving man. But then he'd do something utterly irritating and she was back to jokingly telling him that he was lucky she put up with him.

"That's wonderful but it's not what I meant." She paused again trying to find the best way to express her anxiety of the past several weeks. "What I meant was will you be okay if he or she's not, you know, 'science smart' but just regular smart or some other kind of smart?"

There she had said it. Zane had his moments of being a superior jackass but she didn't seriously think he thought less of her because she wasn't "smart" by Eureka standards. She had gotten over that long ago. But what if he were different about his own kids? He would have to carry the gene pool on that front and what would his manly pride feel like if his average kid wasn't the star at Tesla? It would already be a challenge to raise a child in Eureka but she didn't want her baby to have to struggle for his acceptance, or anyone else's, in a town full of super-geniuses. It wouldn't be the baby's fault if he or she had the misfortune of taking after their mother in the intellect department.

Before her thoughts could completely run away from her, she was distracted by Zane's very prominent scoff of dismissal. "Lupo, you are a piece of work. I need you to hear this because I'm only going to say it once. I don't care if our kids—yes, I said 'kids' plural—are mini-me's or kick-ass commandos like their mom. I don't care if they drop out of school to be a musician or writer or if they go on to get five degrees and become a physicist or engineer or lawyer. No, scratch that one. No lawyers in this family."

"Zane, I didn't—" Jo exclaimed but he cut her off and held her firmly in his arms.

"All I care about is that our babies are healthy and happy and have ten fingers and ten toes—each, of course." He waited for her to smile at his stupid joke like she always did. "Whether they get my smarts or your smarts or my independence or your super strength, we are going to love them and give them everything they need to make their way in the world. Got it?" She nodded in response, a few tears building up in her eyes. "Now no more of this talk either."

"I know, I know," she sniffed. "I'm blaming the hormones and all that crap."

"Well, whatever it is, purge it. Our baby is going to be perfect."

Jo smiled and rested her head back against him. "I know that too." She was glad that he had effectively chastised her for her insecurities. She realized deep down that she was being ridiculous but the assurance was nice all the same. Although…

"Um, could we not have any of our kids drop out of school, please?"

"Slave driver," he replied with a chuckle. "How about they take after their old man and get expelled?"

Jo's response left no room for compromise. "Absolutely not, Donovan."

He laughed again lightly by her ear. "You're the boss."

She turned her head to the side and kissed him leisurely but surely. "Don't you forget it."

As they continued to dance, Zane teased her with silly little wisecracks until she was relaxed once again and they settled into a comfortable silence and rhythm. They both closed their eyes thinking of a gorgeous little baby they would spend hours staring at in the bassinet their Daddy had built. Every so often, the littlest Donovan would kick solidly against their hands and they would both grin like idiots every time.

A week and a half later, Zane finished his most frustrating construction project after finally calling in reinforcements in the form of Carter. A month after that, they welcomed a stunning, exceptional little girl with ten perfect fingers and ten perfect toes. Along the lines of their usual inability to agree, Zane swore their daughter looked just like her mother and Jo swore their tiny little miracle looked just like her father. However, they did agree that she was the most beautiful, perfect creation either of them had ever been a part of.

And sometimes when she was fussy, they'd hold her between them and dance their little Ella to slumber.

**THE END**


End file.
